Five Things To Know About The Recent Drone Sightings In New Jersey

Reports of drone sightings in New Jersey have rattled Garden State residents in recent days, with Gov. Phil Murphy (D) saying on Monday that he is taking them “deadly seriously.”

The local FBI field office in Newark last week said that they, alongside New Jersey authorities, “are asking for the public to report any information related to the recent sightings of possible drones flying in several areas along the Raritan River.”

A Republican state senator called for “a limited state of emergency” over the drone sightings on Tuesday. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) wrote a letter to federal officials dated Tuesday about the drone sightings.

Here’s what to know about the New Jersey drone sightings that have raised concerns among both the public and government officials:

There are mounting reports of sightings

According to a Wednesday report from NJ.com, the drones were first spotted last month, with the majority of sightings in Hunterdon and Morris counties, which are part of the northern and central regions of the state. The outlet reported that some newer drone sighting reports have been located close to the Jersey Shore, as well as a number of northern and southern counties.

A spokesperson with the Morris County Sheriff’s Office described the drones as similar to “small cars” in size, according to NJ.com. According to Walt Miller, the police chief for the southern New Jersey township of Evesham, eyewitnesses called the drones “as large as an SUV with blinking lights on them,” the outlet reported.

New Jersey officials are expressing concern about the sightings

On Monday, New Jersey Gov. Phill Murphy (D) said he is taking unidentified drone flights in his state “deadly seriously.”

“These are apparently … as I understand it, very sophisticated,” Murphy told a group of reporters.

“The minute you get eyes on them, they go dark. And, you know, we’re obviously most concerned about sensitive targets and sensitive, critical infrastructure. We’ve got military assets, we’ve got utility assets, we’ve got the president-elect’s, one of his homes, here. This is something we’re taking deadly seriously,” he added.

Last week, in a post on the social platform X, Murphy said he convened a briefing to “discuss reported drone activity over parts of North and Central New Jersey,” which included Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, others in the Department of Homeland Security, New Jersey government officials and members of the state’s congressional delegation.

In a letter posted to X Tuesday by Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), addressed to outgoing FBI Director Christopher Wray, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Mayorkas, the New Jersey Democrat pushed for them “to share any relevant information about these drone sightings with the public.”

“Without transparency, I believe that rumors, fear, and misinformation will continue to spread,” Booker added.

In an interview with The Hill’s sister network NewsNation, White House national security communications adviser John Kirby said Tuesday that there was nothing suggesting then “that it's a foreign adversary or a foreign actor” behind the drone sightings.

“The FBI’s looking at this. DOJ’s looking at this. I know the Department of Defense when it … when it affects or comes near a military base, they're looking at this,” Kirby said, adding that he “can't tell you definitively exactly what we're talkin’ about here.”

A state senator called for a 'a limited state of emergency' due to the drone sightings

“The State of New Jersey should issue a limited state of emergency banning all drones until the public receives an explanation regarding these multiple sightings,” state Sen. Jon Bramnick (R) said in a statement Tuesday.

Bramnick said in an appearance on Fox News’s “Fox and Friends” Wednesday that he requested the limited state of emergency because “we do that in a snowstorm the day before the snow.”

“Here’s a situation where people [are] worried about drones flying over their houses, flying over military bases and there seems to be no answers,” he added.

A military research center has denied being behind the drones

The Daily Record, a regional outlet, reported Tuesday that an Army base commander for Morris County’s Picatinny Arsenal military research center pushed back against the notion that the drones are coming from the base.

"While the source and cause of these aircraft operating in our area remain unknown, we can confirm that they are not the result of any Picatinny Arsenal-related activities,” Lt. Col. Craig Bonham II said in a news release, according to The Daily Record.

New Jersey isn’t the only state with drone sightings

Local newspaper The Staten Island Advance reported Tuesday that there have now been drone sightings within the last few days in Staten Island, which is a borough of New York City.

According to a Monday report from Philadelphia’s WPVI-TV, the station was provided with multiple reports of flying objects within Delaware and Philadelphia counties.

The Hill has reached out to Murphy’s office, the FBI, the Department of Transportation and the Department of Homeland Security for comment.